James Heslington (21) from Bournemouth, Dorset has challenged himself to complete the world-famous 21-mile swim across the English Channel. Raising money for The Wave Project, a charity who provides one-to-one surfing lessons for young people with mental health issues, James will be swimming from Dover to South Calais, sometime between the 27th September and the 3rd October. He is third in line in the customary angst- inducing week-long waiting list for all swimmers attempting the challenge and will check-in each morning to see if he has the all clear to go!

Training 3 hours daily for the past few months, James has been completing gruelling laps between Boscombe and Bournemouth Pier, getting his body ready for the challenge. On the day of the swim he will only be allowed two-minute food breaks at hourly intervals, with a choice between diluted energy powder, a chicken sandwich or pork pie to keep him going.

The swim is no easy feat and has required extensive planning by James and his coach, with added support and sponsorship from Rubicon Recruitment Group, Premier Furnishings Ltd and Inspire UK.

Rubicon Recruitment Group’s MD Lloyd Banks will also be joining James’ father Nigel (MD, Regal Holiday Homes) in the support boat to cheer James on and offer a word or two of encouragement (while trying not to throw up!)

The first swim of the season for 2017 was on the 12th June and took the participant 14 hours to complete. James is hoping to accomplish the challenge in just under 13 hours, which is on par with the average time.

If you’re interested in following James’ training then check his updates on his Facebook page, or if you wish to sponsor James to help him raise money for his chosen charity, you can go to his Just Giving page by following this link: sponsor James here.

In 2016, just 56 people completed the swim across the Channel, a small number compared to the 289 people who received a permit to climb Mount Everest in the same year. Rubicon Recruitment Group and the other sponsors are confident, that after all his hard work in training and with his lucky foot painted purple, James will achieve his goal – we wish him the best of luck as the day draws closer.